Net TV lacks 'attention to cost of delivery'

Services like the iPlayer and 4oD need 'proper attention'

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Earlier we reported how ISP Tiscali was one of a group of providers irked by the BBC's iPlayer and what it meant for its traffic. Now the ISP has provided us with a further statement on the development, first reported in The Independent.

"Our position is that high bandwidth content services like iPlayer are being launched without proper attention to the cost of delivery," said spokesperson Debbie Roff. "As these services become more popular they will undoubtedly cause congestion. It is only broadband operators that can increase bandwidth and this comes at a cost."

Tiscali also said it already uses so-called "traffic shaping" to control the bandwidth used by services like the iPlayer to "ensure all customers get a fair share".

"Peer to Peer traffic is the first to be affected at peak times making downloading slower but not limiting it with any caps," said the ISP. "iPlayer traffic would fall into this category, although at present would not be specifically targeted."

So the iPlayer isn't feeling the affect of any bandwidth control from Tiscali - yet. "We believe that this issue needs to be addressed properly," said Roff. "[That's] not only [the] BBC but also ITV.com and 4oD, before it becomes a network congestion issue."